Justification
by McRaider
Summary: Why did John Sheppard chose Rodney McKay for his team? One-shot (FIN)


Justification

By McRaider

Summary: This story was inspired by a message on the forum at where someone asked why John picked Rodney for his team. This is what I came up with. Told in John's POV

My mom always used to tell me to keep a journal of sorts and explain what was happening, that way I'd never forget a moment of my life. Now I'll be the first person to admit, ten years ago that sounded dumber than hell…hell a year ago it still sounded dumb, but I did it. Part of it was to please my mother, another part really wanted to remember everything. So here I am, sitting on Atlantis, the city of the Ancients, with some stupid gene wishing I was home.

Colonel Sumner died yesterday…and unfortunately I was the one who killed him…technically. I mean I was the one who took his last heart beat from him. These creatures called the Wraith were the ones who killed him. However, I still feel responsible.

Dr. Weir…Elizabeth told me I should think on it a few days about the new members of my team. I'm ranking military officer now. Never thought that day would come. After all no one's ever felt I was good enough. I've fucked up so many times on earth people are just tired of dealing with me. I'm convinced that's why they've sent me to this godforsaken place.

Well, the first two people were easy, Lieutenant Aiden Ford is a restless somewhat trigger happy twenty-five year old military officer who listens to every command but has his limits. I saw him on the mission yesterday, and the day before he fought his ass off. He's a good man, so I know I want him for my team before anyone else can grab him.

Teyla is the second person, I'm fairly sure that Elizabeth will okay Teyla, I mean she's one hell of a fighter, and she's smart, and she can sense the Wraith. She'll be an valuable member of my team.

That leaves one person left, and Elizabeth has already made it abundantly clear the last person is to be a scientist. Which leaves me with few choices, the first choice is Dr. Rodney McKay, smart ass extraordinaire, he says he's the smartest man we have here…and based on the other scientists I have to choose from I'm starting to think he's right.

If Rodney McKay is an arrogant pain in the ass then Calvin Kavanagh is Rodney multiplied by ten, this man actually thinks he's better than McKay, if that's even possible…I mean the thinking part not the McKay part. Anyway he's an arrogant asshole. So I know I couldn't stand to live with Kavanagh.

The next scientist is Zelenko…or Zelenka or whatever the hell his name is. He's a good man, a little shy, and sometimes a little quiet but out of all the scientists he's an honest man who doesn't feel he's better than everyone else. However he seems to lack one thing. The capacity to fight; he can do anything you ask him to if it has to do with science, but he doesn't look like the physical type, and I can't see him on my team, especially if it puts my teammates at risk.

The final person is Grodin, although I have the feel Dr. Weir wouldn't be very excited about parting with the man who runs her ancient control system. Hell I'm not sure I want him anywhere else but there.

I guess that leaves me with Rodney, it's not that I don't like the man…it's that he's just, pathetically coward-like. I can't seem him every doing anything heroic to help someone else. I hope I'm not dooming my team by choosing him for my group.

I headed out of my room to look for Rodney, Aiden and Teyla. Teyla was fairly easy to find, she after all was helping get her people settled into the city. She looked up when she saw me coming and greeted me with her usually warm smile.

"Good morning Major," she greeted me.

"Teyla, I wanted to speak with you about something," she nodded, "Dr. Weir has placed me in charge of the first off world team. We'd go off world to explore other worlds…and I have to pick the people for my team. I'd like you to join us, you'd be very valuable to my team and I'm sure you must know many of these worlds."

"I would be honored Major, thank you."

"We'll have a meeting later this afternoon, thank you Teyla," with that I headed off to find the wayward scientist I was choosing for my team.

As I walked down to the labs I had to wonder what I was getting myself into by choosing such a man for my team. I couldn't see the two of us ever getting along, the man drove me up a wall in the matter of days we were on Antarctica and here. I already want to pound his head into the nearest wall.

That's when I heard the incredibly loud crack of a gunshot, coming from the lab that I was supposed to be heading to. My legs began to move, taking me to the room, fear welling inside me, desperate hopes that he hadn't done something stupid. 'Where the hell did the idiot get the gun from in the first place' ran through my mind.

There he stood in the middle of the room, grinning from ear to hear, staring at the gun in his hand, which was glowing green. On his chest was a small green device, I searched wildly for blood of a pullet whole. I saw nothing he looked fine.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at him. His eyes met mine and I saw pure glee in them, similar to what you'd find in a five year old at Christmas.

"Major! You'll never believe this!" he began to talk faster than most men I knew could, telling me all about the gene therapy Carson had given him and how he had just shot himself in the head and he was fine.

Finally I held up my hands, "whoa, stop, you mean to tell me you just shot yourself in the head. Rodney, that's a little…"

"No I'm not suicidal, I had to see if it worked, and it does! Here, shoot me, anywhere," he said handing me the gun. I was impressed that he knew how to hand someone a gun, much less hold it. Taking the 9mm from him I looked at it, then back at him.

"McKay…."

"No, it's okay, really I won't feel a thing, you can shoot me anywhere!"

I was stunned, as much as I wanted to shoot him, I never would have, I mean he was going to be the newest member of my team, wouldn't do me much good to kill him, then I'd be stuck with Kavanagh or Zelenka.

"McKay this is crazy!"

"No, it's not, really go ahead I can take it," I raised an eye brow at him, I was fairly sure there was little this man could really take. But with a severe doubt in what I was doing I held the gun up at point blanket range in front of his face.

He didn't even flinch, I began to pull the trigger, at the last moment I dropped the gun and shot at his thigh. He was right the bullet hit whatever was covering his body and then dropped to the ground. There was no bullet hole, no blood, nothing.

"Isn't this great?" Rodney said with excitement.

The next day I watched as he placed the device against his chest again and descended into the entity we had found. As I watched I realized I was wrong. This man was brave, perhaps a little self centered at times, but there was no question he could be a solider.

We lost sight of him, as the entity began to slip through the gate I felt pride grow in my chest, Rodney lay on the floor unconscious, I ran to him, kneeling down beside him I was relieved to see he was still breathing.

Perhaps he was a little crazy and eccentric at times, and a big pain in the ass most of the time, but what Rodney said was true, he could very well be one of the smartest men on this base. As the new military commander it was my job to man a team, then I wanted him.

Friendship could and would come later, maybe it would take awhile, maybe I'd never really like him, but I know now that I can justify why I chose him for my team, I chose him because like Aiden he's a good man who is wiling to sacrifice everything for the people he cares about, even if he barely knows them.

When I finally asked Rodney if he'd join my team he seemed stunned, as though no one would ever like him enough to have him on a team. He said yes, which didn't surprise me, but I was aware of the grin he wore for the next two days before our first mission off world as a team, and I was proud of him. He was more than just some brainy scientist, he was a soldier.


End file.
